What is the Difference Between
a Travel Agent and a Travel Advisor

For almost ten years, I have been asked,

                  “What is the difference between a travel agent and a travel advisor –

                                               aren’t they just the same thing?”

Short answer, “No”

Travel “Agents”

First and foremost, I need to say something about Travel “Agents,” even though I know I will probably upset many of them when this blog is done. I have a great deal of respect for traditional travel “agents.” They do an excellent service in providing an off-the-shelf, often cost-effective vacation for their clients; think of them as “booking agents,” as booking what is available is what they do. However, the restrictive nature of their roles makes the drawbacks of using them for something more than a simple vacation less than ideal. Travel Agents historically are transactional booking agents, travel reps, or vacation salespeople.

What Travel Agents Do

Most travel agents deal with available retail travel and little more. They can get you where you’re going, check you into a hotel, and book you for predesignated non-private tours. Beyond that, they begin to hit limitations. As a traveler, if you wish to deviate from set routes or itineraries, problems begin to arise. You may incur additional costs and cancellation fees or even end up stranded somewhere should you want to waiver from the schedule.

The Big Difference

A significant transformation occurs when you step through the doors of a traditional retail travel agency. You will go from an enthusiastic traveler full of zeal and excitement for your next adventure to spontaneously mutating into a number. Not that a travel agent literally thinks of you that way but because they must move the numbers to stay profitable. This is especially true of travel agents paid solely by commission. Therefore, to stay solvent, they must do volume and deal only with travel options that pay them.

What a “FREE” Travel Agent Really Costs:

As I’ve just said, if your so-called Professional Travel Advisor does not charge for their services, they MUST get paid through commissions. This means:

• Their loyalty is to the Travel Supplier FIRST
• Travel agents sell what they get a commission on or what they can ADD a commission to, not necessarily the right fit for the traveler.
• Worst–case scenario: They bury the cost of their services, which is highly unethical. This is most easily detected by an agency that charges the traveler with their own merchant account. The charge on your card shows their agency or their name, not the hotel or supplier partner that the agent has booked for you.
• According to the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), the best and most ethical practice is to disclose the travel supplier that is actually delivering the service, lodging, or anything booked in the destination BEFORE the traveler makes payment.

Travel “Advisors” (sometimes known as Travel “DESIGNERS”)

By contrast, “Travel Designers” or “Advisors” are much more than booking services. We provide a custom experience where your travel desires are primary and where the travel designer’s expertise and exclusive connections are applied to make sure that you get the best possible experience and value for your money.

I proudly describe myself as a Travel Designer, and for good reason. I don’t simply book you on a tour or arrange your flights; I handcraft every aspect of your journey, from packing and preparation to airport transfers, accommodations, dietary requirements, and much more.

Professional Travel Designers charge for their services. It should be a huge red flag if they call themselves custom travel designers, but they do not charge for their services. I’ll go one step further; if they do not ask you to agree, at the very least, to their legal terms and conditions, I would be suspicious of whether or not they follow best practices, dot their “I’s, and cross their T’s.”

De-mystifying How Travel Professionals are Compensated

Many things are non-commissionable these days. I don’t believe anyone thinks that the advisor’s time and expertise should be given away for free. But many people need to understand commissions, how small they often are, and how often there are none (looking at your airline industry). Some travelers actually think that is enough to sustain a profitable business. Commissions, when they exist, most often run the range of 10 – 8 % (off of BASE cost, before taxes, and we all know how taxes are in a resort area or on a cruise). However, more and more specialty, custom features added to a travel itinerary that make it unique are not commissioned. 

Add to that the fact that, with rare exceptions, commissions are paid a month or more after the travelers return. Finally, consider that a good, custom-designed travel itinerary takes between 30 and 40 hours of work on the front end. It is easy to see why a travel advisor can only stay in business by charging for their services.

(To understand this more in-depth, and see some actual numbers on what it costs to hire a professional travel advisor, check out my previous blog on What a Travel Advisor Costs, HERE)

What Services Does a Travel Advisor Provide? 

This varies from TA to TA, but generally speaking, each vacation we plan includes 

• Hours of research, plotting, planning, and reserving. We sift through reviews from our network of verified travelers AND fellow advisors with recent and intimate knowledge of destinations worldwide. 
• We may plot your trip on Google Maps to create an efficient itinerary. 
• Many of us provide private technology for your travels
• 24/7 emergency access while in destination
• We have onsite partners to create authentic, VIP-style experiences.

As an Independent Affiliate of Coastline/Tafari Travel, one of the oldest travel agency hosts in the Virtuoso travel consortia, my relationships are, more often than not, the general managers and chief executives of these travel suppliers, which means you have a voice all the way to the top.

When we are not planning your travel experiences my fellow travel designers and I are:

•  Consuming media on destinations, properties, and experiences. 
• Attending continuing education events that require hours of time (and significant financial investment) but that help us further our expertise in the industry and suppliers. 
• Holding meetings with travel partners that deepen our relationships and understanding of their offerings and that helps us elevate our client’s travel experiences
• Site inspecting lodging across the world

“You can’t VIP yourself, but we can”

Travel Designer services often include access to VIP treatment, amenities, and our travel networks. 

• “Love a room upgrade? We can hook you up!” 
• Want to find something not overrun by influencers? We’ve got you covered. 
• Our affiliations (such as Virtuoso membership) give us access to perks you won’t find otherwise. 

Realistically, everyone knows that no travel advisor can personally visit every destination in the world or do so within a time period that keeps their information current. And logically, we also all know that the internet lies (subject of another blog). 

However, I like to say, that among my several hundred colleagues that I routinely communicate with, 

“we’ve either been there or sent someone there within the last 18 months, and therefore I have CURRENT firsthand knowledge of every destination in the world”

The Most Valuable Benefit of a Travel Designer

We save you time. Our client base consists of a high number of successful people who understand that saving time by enlisting a travel professional for their travel planning is a smart decision because their time is more valuable spent on their own business or, more importantly, with family. They also know that time is the one resource you cannot make more of.

The Least Valuable Benefit of a Travel Designer or Advisor

LEAST importantly, a Travel Advisor MIGHT save you money on your travel, and we certainly try. But this should never be your primary reason for contacting a travel advisor, and I will flat-out tell you two things:

1. Your trip will likely NOT be less costly than using an online DIY travel site, but that’s a good thing because…
2. Cheapest is never best when it comes to travel (oops, there it is, I saved it for the end – my controversial statement for the week). 

If you want the cheapest, go to a traditional travel AGENT who works solely off commissions. You will likely get their deal of the week, which always has heavy restrictions and hidden charges, but you are paying the travel agent a bonus commission.

Which brings me to a tip for getting in with a quality travel advisor – The quickest way to get turned down by a professional travel advisor – yes, these days, travel is so busy, and successful travel advisors (the only type you will want to work with if you are investing significant cash in your travel experience) can choose who they work with. We are too busy to take on all projects, so don’t start with “Can you find me the cheapest…” or “Can you get me a deal or match this deal I saw online?”

But now I’m straying into another topic, “How to Find a Quality Travel Advisor” – Stay tuned for more. And, if you want to be notified whenever a new blog drops, as well as get all my best travel tips, subscribe to my weekly newsletter “Places & Passages” (emphasis on the “News”) HERE

Of course, as always, if you want to talk travel with me request a complimentary consult HERE

Ciao for now!